Boot Camp (1 Corinthians)

I have just finished the book of 1 Corinthians and am finding myself pondering over all the wonderful lessons. It would be so hard to produce a decent summary of this epistle because every chapter is jam-packed with verses that individually could be picked over at length. If you don’t believe me, check out my board on Pinterest that is currently covered in 1 and 2 Corinthians verses. Strange, but even though I’ve read through this book more than once I primarily think about it in terms of the famous ‘love’ chapter thirteen. Don’t get me wrong, that is an amazing chapter, but the feeling I got reading through the book this time was… ‘Man, if people read the rest of this book they wouldn’t think aww but ouch!’. Maybe it is the time of life I’m at but it felt like I was preparing for boot camp or some kind of intense training through my readings. However the pain it produced was profitable and really pushed me towards examination of how prevalent Christian virtues are in my day to day life. Here are a few passages that stuck out to me… 

“For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work… Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?” 1 Corinthians 3:11-13, 16 (NIV)

I find it interesting how often verse 16 of this section is quoted without correlation to the previous section. Although I can see its connection to modern day decisions I don’t think it should be the poster verse for anti-smoking campaigns etc. Reading it in this context gave me new insight and though obviously Paul is talking about the physical too, my focus was on teaching. There were so many false teachers running amok with what Paul had begun in the Holy Spirit. The people we allow to speak into our lives are important. What do their lives look like? Does what they teach line up with what we see in the Bible? Our foundation above all else must be Christ and if keeping that true means sacrificing pet doctrines, prejudices or false beliefs it must be done. Or as this verse suggests- it will certainly be done for us. At the end of our lives we’ll see what proved to be gold, but this much is true, everything should be built on Jesus. How well do we know him? 

“Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.” 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (NKJV)

Doesn’t that make you want to get up and go for a run or something? Paul knew that training was paramount to the Christian life. As I’ve gone through my Spiritual Formation class and learned about Spiritual Disciplines I have felt a little beat up, but that bruising will make me stronger. We have this idea in American spirituality that being uncomfortable means God isn’t with us or isn’t blessing us. Why not accept all things in life as training in this race of life? We’re all running, but are we faux-jogging at the back of the pack, distracted by everything we pass by. Paul had no uncertainty in what he was running towards and who was his example. He was running for the crown that would be given to him and us by the great forerunner Jesus Christ. What is keeping us spiritually fat? What radical move can we make (and maintain) to submit more of our lives to God? 

“Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. Let all that you do be done with love.” 1 Corinthians 16:13,14 (NKJV) 

I get that the Greek connotation here is ‘be a man’ but I’m not about to let Men’s ministries hold exclusive rights to this amazing text. If the former section was about hard training, this one is about endurance. These are some of the final words Paul imparts in this letter and it sums up the essence of the book. Spiritual training is profitable because in the day of testing the practice of standing firm and trusting God has already been solidified. We must keep our eyes open, stand firm on the rock that is Jesus and take courage. We are the children of God- why are we walking around like that is a powerless relationship? Finally, being grounded in Christ provides resources of divine love with which to touch those around us. We can love others because He first loved us. What a glorious inheritance!

Text Reference: (1984). NIV. Grand Rapids : Zondervan.

The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Photo Reference: National Library of Scotland. Finish of the Officers 100 yards - an event in a R.A.F. Sports. Circa 1918.

Warmth of the Holy Family (Romans 12:13)

Being sick for a week will definitely teach you something about your family. There are people with squeamish stomachs who will still clean up the mess after their vomiting kid. Luckily I wasn’t vomiting, but it says something when you know you can ask anyone in your family to get you some food or meds or a blanket and know they’ll help you. Better yet when your dad will run to pick up the first food you have an appetite for after your fever breaks. Simple, but a subtlety we hardly ever give thanks for. Maybe there is no family like that in our lives, but as the body of Christ do we live with the same selflessness towards our spiritual brothers and sisters? The thing is, we like the big dramatic gestures and somewhere deep down Jesus’ words about laying our life down sounds more striking when it speaks of one glorious act and not the daily sacrifices that are often more difficult.

“distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.” Romans 12:13

Distributing (koinóneó): share, communicate, impart, contribute, share fellowship with

Needs (chreia): necessity, necessary, requirement, such things as needed for sustenance

Saints (hagios): set apart, holy, sacred

Given to (diókó): earnestly pursue, chase aggressively, seek after

Hospitality (philoxenia): love to strangers

My rewritten version:

“Maintain true fellowship with your holy family and provide for each others needs. Pursue the wayfarer and the stranger in love and show them the warmth of home.”

Text Reference: Helps Word Studies copyright © 1987, 2011 by Helps Ministries, Inc.

Strong, J. (2009). Exhaustive concordance, updated edition KJV. Peabody: Hendrickson publishers.
The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Photo Reference: State Library of New South Wales. Schoolchildren line up for free issue of soup and a slice of bread in the Depression, Belmore North Public School, Sydney, 2 August 1934

Endure Pressure (Romans 12:12)

Continuing where I left off in Romans chapter 12 with my verse dissection… 

“rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer;” Romans 12:12 

Rejoicing (chairó): delight in God’s grace, am glad, salutation, joyfully

Hope (elpis): expectation, trust, confidence

Patient (hupomenó): stand ground, endure, persevere, bear up

Tribulation (thlipsis): persecution, affliction, distress, restricted, pressure

Continuing Steadfastly (proskartereó): persist, persevere, endure, devoting oneself

And here is my rephrased version: 

“With confidence, joyfully delight in God’s grace, stand your ground during affliction, devote yourself to prayer” 

In this section of the Bible, like many others, it is interesting to note that tribulation is expected. It is a given that we will endure suffering as followers of Christ but the question is how we will deal with it. When I am suffering do I persist in prayer and keep my trust in God? Do I hold on to that assured expectation of God’s grace and love and victory? The answer all too often is no. Another point is that the word used for patience here is not passive but active. Patience here gives the picture of someone bearing up under a burden, holding their ground, not acting like a punching bag. It takes strength to hold onto that hope during life’s trials- do I have the endurance? Am I even trying to build it up? 

“Give me the Love that leads the way
The Faith that nothing can dismay
The Hope no disappointments tire
The Passion that'll burn like fire
Let me not sink to be a clod
Make me Thy fuel, Flame of God”
-Amy Carmichael 

Text Reference: Helps Word Studies copyright © 1987, 2011 by Helps Ministries, Inc.
Strong, J. (2009). Exhaustive concordance, updated edition KJV. Peabody: Hendrickson publishers.
The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Photo Reference: State Library and Archives of Florida. FAMU athlete Robert Hayes practices running on the track: Tallahassee, Florida, 1962

Suffering and Submission

A little bit of a different post- but both these subjects have been on my mind. Sometimes it is easier to read or share what others have written than figure out how to articulate what is happening in your own head and heart.

“The readiest way to escape from our sufferings is, to be willing they should endure as long as God pleases.” John Wesley

“God had one Son on earth without sin, but never one without suffering.” Augustine

“When you and I hurt deeply, what we really need is not an explanation from God but a revelation of God. We need to see how great God is; we need to recover our lost perspective on life., Things get out of proportion when we are suffering, and it takes a vision of something bigger than ourselves to get life's dimensions adjusted again.” Warren Wiersbe

“Suffering in the path of Christian obedience, with joy - because the steadfast love of the Lord is better than life (Psalm 63:3) - is the clearest display of the worth of God in our lives. Therefore, faith-filled suffering is essential in this world for the most intense, authentic worship. When we are most satisfied with God in suffering, he will be most glorified in us in worship.” John Piper

“We can ignore even pleasure. But pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” C.S. Lewis

“What God gives us is not necessarily "ours" but only ours to offer back to him, ours to relinquish, ours to lose, ours to let go of, if we want to be our true selves. Many deaths must go into reaching our maturity in Christ, many letting goes.” Elisabeth Elliot

Photo Reference: The Library of Congress. Russian Service in Suwalki Hospital [between 1914 and ca. 1915].

World of Death

Sitting in a coffee shop listening to one of the most ridiculous conversations I have ever heard. About drugs and a college professor’s drunken tenure party and how the government and certain news channels are in on a conspiracy to convince people weed is the devil and about the Boston bombing and racism shown towards suspects and ignorance of news anchors talking about Eastern European politics and about what two brothers might have said to each other before they blew people’s legs off, and if they’re guilty and if the government is arresting without evidence and about what makes a person do something so terrible. And I shake my head and try to do my homework and wonder if there really is anything to say that can be said without self-righteousness or anger. Because it seems like such a waste of breath to say anything, especially about how fallen man is capable of far worse, about how I am capable of far worse, about how the sparks of goodness in humanity are meant to turn us to the one who is good not to reignite our hope in humanity or patriotism or religion.

And how useful is talk really? A hopeful post on facebook might make us feel better for a moment but does it make a difference when you’re alone in the dark wrestling with the grotesque sinfulness of your own heart? Because we all know about it. We all know our own thoughts and we all know the secret motivations of even seemingly selfless acts. We know the pride of self-righteousness when we tap out a blog post that scorns the overheard conversation of others. We know the hatred we feel towards those that hurt us and hurt loved ones. We know the presumption that sets us up as judge over all earth events, declaring the good and the bad in the hearts of newscasters and police officers and terrorists. We know the secret apathy that infects us until we’re cold against any act of violence and used to the uproar. Is there anyway to consider these things without falling into the trap of prideful opinion? As I think about this I can’t help but recall Jesus teaching his disciples about the message of the Holy Spirit since we covered it in a recent Bible Study-

“When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: about sin, because people do not believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.” John 16:8-11

The sin we will all be judged for is unbelief. Our final destination will not be determined based on acts of hatred or peace but on if we were made to be at peace with God through Jesus. The final judge is just and determining fate on an entirely different scale than we do. Humanity is not basically good because they have already been judged for rejecting the only just Redeemer. There is no righteous human except for Jesus. Yes, this means our judicial system and legal system will be flawed. Yes, this means that through our own efforts we will never be able to prevent hatred from blowing up in a myriad of ways that will affect our lives on this earth. Yes, this means that every single one of us- no matter the race or creed or religion is sinful and skewed and incapable of living a truly ‘good’ life apart from Jesus. And this IS hope, because it is only through Him that we can leave the twisted lies of sin and enter into the ‘goodness’ of God. Finally we will be judged on these things exactly as Satan has already been judged. Christ will not leave the world in its brokenness but will restore and redeem it. Not through the ‘goodness’ of humanity but through His innate righteousness.

When everything within in us cries out in fear and doubt-

“What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?” Romans 7:24

Then we will be answered-

“Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!” Romans 7:25a

Text Reference: (1984). NIV. Grand Rapids : Zondervan.

Photo Reference: The New York Public Library. Funeral of nineteen year old Negro saw mill worker in Heard County, Georgia, May 1941. 

Don't Drag Your Feet (Romans 12:11)

Often we complain about the lack of practical advice or direction we receive from our time spent in prayer or study of the Bible. However the problem is not really what we don’t hear- but what we already know and don’t follow. This hits home every time we read the Sermon on the Mount or consider what the early church gave up to follow Jesus. Yes, we know that our works do not save us, but like in this post about Christian character, that shouldn’t mean an automatic disconnect between our faith and action. In memorizing this section of Scripture I’ve been struck by how much time I could spend just studying this picture of Christian living. Verse eleven is no different and begins a list that I’ve been thinking over all week long.

“not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;” Romans 12:11

Lagging (oknéros): lazy, slothful, backward, reluctant, troublesome

Diligence (spoudé): haste, earnestness, enthusiasm, zealous, speed on

Fervent (zeó): burn, boil, show great zeal

Spirit (pneuma): wind, breath, spirit

Serving (douleuó): slave to, subject to, obey, devoted to

And here is my rewritten version:

“Don’t drag your feet or act lazy in your role as servant to the Lord. Instead boil over with zealous enthusiasm- racing on in devotion to God.”

For my question section I think automatically of Francis Chan’s writing on following Jesus in his book Crazy Love.

“Are you willing to say to God that He can have whatever he wants?  Do you believe that wholehearted commitment to Him is more important than any other thing or person in your life?  Do you know that nothing you do in this life will ever matter, unless it is about loving God and loving the people He has made?”

Text Reference: Chan, F. (2008). Crazy love. Colorado Springs: David C. Cook.

Helps Word Studies copyright © 1987, 2011 by Helps Ministries, Inc.

Strong, J. (2009). Exhaustive concordance, updated edition KJV. Peabody: Hendrickson publishers.

The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Photo Reference: University of Washington Libraries. Students enjoying a sack race, University of Washington, ca. 1915

Love of God's Family (Romans 12:10)

Continuing on with my breakdown of my memory verses (started in this post). Here is my study and part of my application for the next section. It is a bit ironic that I’m studying these verses in the midst of a week where I’ve been continually challenged to love. I woke up about a week ago feeling God was telling me very clearly to, “Love your family”. It seemed like a simple enough idea until I began thinking in larger terms…especially in light of this verse which encourages a special kind of love between all members of God’s family. The thing about families is that you can’t fake affection (harking back to verse nine), because people can tell when you don’t truly care about what they’re saying or what they’re going through. The more you practice genuine love the more you realize how painful it is. People are flawed and it can seem like we must mourn with the mournful more often than rejoice with the joyful.

“Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another;” Romans 12:10

Kindly Affectionate (philostorgos): tenderly loving, family affection, devoted love, mutual love between parents and/or children

Brotherly Love (philadelphia): brotherly kindness, fraternal affection

Honor (timé): price, value, price paid for a person or thing bought, pre-eminence

Giving Preference (proégeomai): going before, lead onward by example, prefer

One Another (allélón): each other, together, mutually

And here is my rewritten version:

“Be tender and loving with each other, just like a close family. Show the value you hold for your spiritual family by example, giving pre-eminence to each other.”

The first thing about this verse that struck me was the picture of a close-knit family, especially the love between parents and children. The same love that God showed us, we are supposed to show through kindness to our fellow Christians. No one is exempt from being a leader in this area. Moreover the way we treat each other really puts a price on our relationships. How much am I willing to sacrifice in loving someone? What message or ‘price’ would the person say I’m sending by my actions? Are there some people I’m satisfied with giving a dime’s worth of affection or that I think others should love without loving them myself? Thank you for putting a price on your love of us God- your son’s life. Help my love to flow from that greater love.

Text Reference: Helps Word Studies copyright © 1987, 2011 by Helps Ministries, Inc.

Strong, J. (2009). Exhaustive concordance, updated edition KJV. Peabody: Hendrickson publishers.

The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Photo Reference: The Field Museum Library. Captain Marshall Field South American Expedition: Family portrait. 1923.